But when it came time to replace the tires this month, Rush said, he was offered a brand that he felt didn't measure up to the one that came with his car.

In recent years, The Desk has heard plenty on loyalty and service programs that various retailers offer to keep customers coming back. Some are great. Some aren't.

While these plans are often free and considered "extras," consumers shouldn't take a passive role when they're offered.

As The Desk always recommends, ask questions. Then ask some more. It may seem silly -- or even ungrateful -- to quiz a retailer offering a free product or service, but you've got to pry open that gift horse's mouth and dig around.

Ask exactly what product or service you'll receive and how it compares with what you'd get if you had to pay. Ask how long the deal lasts and what you must do to get it. And, ask about terms in pamphlets or marketing material that seem clear, but when studied carefully are actually vague. Take the phrase in the Dick Hannah deal: "Tires will be replaced with the same size and quality only."

As what?

Rush figured "same" meant a set matching those that came on his Passat from the factory, perhaps even the same brand. He said that was the impression he was given by the car salesman, too.

So when a Hannah employee explained he'd get a different brand that was about half the price of his car's Continental ContiProContact set, he was dubious as to how similar they were. He asked to see the replacement tires' specs, but said that the Hannah employees couldn't produce the exact measurements to make a comparison.

The Desk called Robert Stites, manager of Dick Hannah Volkswagen. Within hours, he'd called Rush and promised that whatever tire Rush wanted, he could have.

Ultimately, The Desk would argue, that's a customer loyalty program.

But how could this situation have been avoided? If brand or quality is important, as it was to Rush, ask specifically whether you'll get that same brand. Every time.

Had Rush asked that, Stites said, the answer would have been, "No." To be clear, Stites said, a customer wanting a different brand than what's being offered would have to pay the difference.

"And you can't judge a tire's quality based on the price," Stites said, adding he'd never heard a complaint about the free replacement tire program before. "We buy $150,000 worth of tires each month. I can get a tire for $75 when someone else will has to pay $150 because we're buying so many as a corporation."

Stites added that his employees said they did show Rush the replacement tires' specs but that he seemed convinced the tires he was slated to get were of lesser quality. Stites said that the new and old tires are virtually the same except for a speed rating, which he added was actually better on the replacement tire.

"We flew United to London, and when we went to check in for a seat to Johannesburg the SA airways agent looked at my wife's passport and told her she did not have enough empty pages and so she could not get a seat," said Smith, adding they later noticed the fine print on their ticket.

The issue resulted in four unplanned days in London last May and $2,000 worth of cancelled flights and hotel reservations.

Again, to avoid such travel technicalities, be sure to check out the "International travel" section at the state department's web site, find the country you plan to visit and read the "entry/exit requirements."